Lazy Sundays
by Downtonluvr
Summary: Just a bit of baby Bates fluff to get us through after the series five finale.


Anna was certain she had never seen a more glorious sight. The two most important men in her life held onto each other firmly but with the most tender of touches. He looked so indescribably perfect as he slept. Filling the role he was meant to play. So peaceful and at ease, without a care in the world. He let out a heavy, content sigh as he readjusted himself; but remained in a state of rest. Exhaustion had finally taken over; he was in a deep sleep now. She reckoned after this past month it was the best sleep he'd ever gotten. And who could blame him?

After two years of being happily married she and John had finally gotten the news they had been waiting for; they were going to have a baby. The two of them had never known it was possible to love something, or rather someone, that they had never seen or met. The pregnancy had gone without a hitch until shortly after she reached her sixth month and went into premature labor. She had spent a few days in a hospital bed after an emergency c-section, but it was nothing compared to the months that their little boy spent in an incubator hooked up to more tubes than she cared to remember. John had been her source of strength in those first few weeks when they couldn't even hold their son. They had taken it in shifts to make sure that someone was always awake in case anything happened. She had been afraid to name their baby; worried of becoming too attached when the doctors were telling them the odds were not in their favor. John told her the odds had been stacked against them before and they had braved worse storms than this. In an effort to show a sign of faith, her husband suggested Connor; a nod to his Irish heritage and a name that meant "strong willed". With each passing day their baby grew stronger; Connor put on more weight and was eventually able to breath on his own. The two of them had never felt such sweet relief as the day they were able to hold Connor. They both wept with joy two weeks later when they were told they could take their little bundle of joy home.

It had been hard adjusting at first, without doctors or nurses constantly hovering over their shoulder telling them what to do, but the three of them were finally settling into an easy routine. John lived on almost no sleep, constantly checking that Connor was breathing throughout the night while she slept. It killed John to be away from them both while he was off at work, but he helped in any capacity he could in order to give her a break. Her husband was far too good to her. Now as she watched him sleep, Anna noticed how incredibly well suited he looked in a fitted t-shirt and sweat pants. Their little miracle held in place on his chest; settled just over his heart. John's hand nearly covered Connor's entire body with ease. Their breaths falling in alignment as their son sucked on his fingertip; fingers smaller than she had ever imagined. Connor still didn't fit into half of the newborn clothes they had bought beforehand and so he laid there, fresh from his bath as naked as the day he was born with skin smooth as silk and thin as paper. John had covered him with a blanket, but Connor must have kicked it off in his sleep. She grabbed the throw blanket once more and pulled it over the two of them before placing a kiss on each of their foreheads.

Anna knew she should probably take advantage of this break, but in truth nothing could have pulled her away from the image that had taken shape before her very eyes. They had waited so long for their baby to arrive and then again to bring him home. It only seemed natural that they would want to spend every waking moment with him, even as he slept. Anna could drink in the sight and smell of him all day long and she was sure John felt the same way.

Anna hadn't made it much of a secret that she was thrilled when they found out they were having a boy. She had hoped that he would be the spitting image of his father. Anna got more than she bargained for when their son arrived: same distinct chins, similar brow lines, dark hair, and long, chubby fingers to match. "Would this infatuation ever wear off?" she wondered to herself. She supposed not. After all, she was still just as enthralled with her husband. Anna fell in love with him more and more with each passing day. He had already been more than a perfect friend, lover and partner, but seeing him in this new role filled her with pride. Her heart was full to bursting whenever she saw him interacting with Connor, their relationship so new, and yet the bond was already stronger than she could have imagined. John had been nervous, to say the least, when she told him she was pregnant; but he'd read every parenting and baby book he could find. Even with his hair lightly tussled and a bit of scruff growing in on his jaw line, he looked like such a softy wrapped around their son's finger.

She could stand it no more and had to be a part of this moment. These lazy Sundays that she and John had always shared and had hoped to include their future children in when they had first bought their home together. Anna slid onto a spot beside them on the couch and let her head rest against John's shoulder. Her hand came up to stroke Connor's back and comb through the soft tuft of hair on his head. His little lip quivered like he was trying to take in his evening feed and Anna had to stifle a giggle.

"Hey, you came to join us," John said in a gruff voice. His eyes still half closed as he began to fall asleep.

"I did. I couldn't let you two have all the fun," she replied back.

"Did you sleep well?" John asked in a whisper of a voice that sent shivers up her spine. He readjusted the blanket on the baby and looped his free arm around Anna's shoulder. She snuggled up closely against him and he let out a tired sigh.

"I caught a few winks. But I can't sleep without you next to me," she replied.

The two of them shared a smile and he pressed his lips to her temple before giving her a gentle squeeze. "What an exciting life we live now, eh?" John joked.

"Mmhhmm," Anna hummed as she began to drift off. "But, I wouldn't trade these lazy Sundays with you two for anything in the world," she added with a smile.


End file.
